I've been posting lately about my F-L blowing fuses then losing charge. The AA man said if the voltage across the battery doesn't go up when you rev the engine, then it's not charging, and it could be the reg/rec or the alternator.
I did some multimeter tests on my r/r (not Honda) and my spare r/r (original Honda one from the bike). My multimeter is a £2-99 special off eBay and I don't really understand everything it does but I at least was able to compare the two r/r units. Across a certain pair of pins the non-Honda one measured zero where the Honda one didn't so I put the Honda one back on.
Can anyone tell me if my bike is OK (before I go out on it and get stranded again) based on the following voltages?
Battery charged with an optimiser to about 12.4V.
Battery in the bike with engine running measures 14.2V, goes up to 14.4V when revved.
With engine running, all lights on and engine fan spinning, voltage drops to 12.5V but goes up to over 14V when revved.
Do these figures seem OK and does it sound like it's charging?
Thanks all.

 

It sounds right, if I'm parsing your comments correctly.

To be sure, check out this thread, see if it clears up your questions...

Charging System Diagnostics - Rectifier/Regulator Upgrade - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

Ern

 

ALL OK.

From what you write your voltages ( and hence charging ) are all OK.

WORDS OF WARNING!!! (If you want further detail)...
Many people and sellers are ignorant of the fact that there are 2 types main of charging systems on modern bikes. They then make the mistake of believing that a Regulator/Rectifier (RR) from one bike will work on another bike, even of the same bike brand (eg Honda). This is a big mistake. Stick to original Honda RR or a replacement from a reputable RR supplier (eg Electrex).
There are two main types of alternator that are fitted to most bikes, each requiring a different type of regulator rectifier.
Our CBR1000F has a Field Control Type (FCT) and requires that specific type of RR.

Unfortunately the TRIUMPH RR referred to in the previous post is a Permanent Magnet Rotor alternator (PMR) and hence the RR and reference is not applicable to our CBR1000F.

FURTHER INFO IF INTERESTED....
What is a Regulator/Rectifier RR (From WebMoto)
The regulator rectifier is a combined unit. It does the rectifying part as well the regulation part. It is part of a battery charging system. It usually gets an AC power feed from the stator coil of the generator (alternator). Most modern regulator rectifiers and Stators form a three phase system, so there are three wires coming from the stator feeding into the regulator rectifier. The regulator rectifier then rectifies the voltage; that is it turns the voltage from AC into an undulating DC. The voltage is then regulated; the voltage being limited to a maximum of about 14.5 volts and feeds this regulated DC out to the battery. There are some single phase, regulator rectifiers as well which perform a similar function but there are only two wires coming from the stator into the regulator rectifier which is then fed to the battery in the same way as the three phase system. Why are there two different systems? Three phase is more efficient and single phase are cheaper to produce.
Types of Regulator/Rectifiers
There are two main types of alternator that are fitted to most bikes, each requiring a different type of regulator rectifier.
1) Permanent Magnet Rotor alternator (PMR) - This has permanent magnets that revolve with the engine (rotor), either inside or around a set of wound coils (stator) to produce power. These come in various shapes and sizes. Some have two output wires (single phase), but most have three (three phase).
2) Field Control Type (FCT) - This has a 'field' or 'exciter' coil that is in place of the fixed magnets. When supplied with power from the regulator this becomes magnetized. Some types have this coil spinning inside the output 'phase' coils to give power, and will have carbon brush connections. Others have a stationary field coil, stationary phase coils and have a metal rotor spinning between the two, and need no brushes. The amount of power supplied to the field coil from the regulator decides how much output the alternator will give.
How to test the Regulator
Check the battery voltage, with the engine not running. Start the bike (increase the rpm's up a little), the voltage should now be a couple of volts more than the original battery voltage. Check both voltages (running and not running) at battery terminals.
What can go wrong with it
If yours does fail. Before going to the time and bother and expense of replacing one, it is prudent to consider that there are usually contributory factors to a failure. You should conduct a thorough inspection of all other parts of the electrical system and verify that all components are in good working order and that the regulator was correctly mounted to allow dissipation of heat produced. You could also perform some basic postmortem checks on the regulator/rectifier itself, and attempt to determine what has failed, internally if you have the necessary test equipment.
Total failure
Total failure does not usually mean that every part inside the unit died at the same time. All of the parts share a common ground or hot connection; if the unit tests out totally dead, then this internal connection could have failed. This is typically due to either a manufacturing defect, overheating or metal fatigue from too many heating and cooling cycles. A failed connection can cause any of the observed failure modes, so keep that in mind: just because the device doesn't test out totally dead, doesn't mean that it wasn't defective or simply overheated one too many times.
Failed diodes
If this happens, your battery will stop being charged, the lights become progressively more dim, and eventually the engine will stop. First look for a short or bad connection to the alternator stator coils. A bad connection can cause some serious voltage spikes, which can destroy diodes. Check also for a bad battery connection and any oxide build up on the terminals and connectors. A shorted battery or reversed terminals could cause the diodes to draw too much current and burn out. These symptoms could also point to stator failure so check the coil resistances and or output voltage if your meter has an AC range, to eliminate this.
Failed Shunt Regulator
If this happens, your headlight may become very bright and then blow. Your battery may have boiled dry also.
If the regulator burned out, check your battery connections, if they are loose or corroded the regulator has nowhere to route the output and so must get rid of the power produced in the form of heat. Also, make sure that all of your running lights are working; remember, the regulator sinks excess power, and generates a lot of heat in the process. If all of the lights aren't working, that's more heat for the regulator to get rid of.

ALSO MY LINK HERE ..... REGULATOR RECTIFIER - http://tinyurl.com/734engf

 

Wow, great info, thanks!
I have always had a little fan that blows across the r/r, powered from rear lighting circuit and I always ride with lights on.

 

Great info Naga_Thai but you missed one. Diodes can also get weak with age and still charge. When this happens current leaks back and drains the battery overnight.

This is the most common problem that I have experienced. A lot of times, people think it's the battery not holding a charge when in reality it's the diodes leaking.

 

^^^^^^^^^

Spot on TBT

Was this the diode in question ? https://cbrforum.com/forum/cbr-1000f...issues-131775/

 

================================================== ==================================================
[quote=Sprock;1159130]^^^^^^^^^

Spot on TBT

Was this the diode in question ? https://cbrforum.com/forum/cbr-1000f...issues-131775/[/quote
================================================== ==================================================
Hi Sprock.
The diode you refer to has nothing to do with the charging system.
The diodes I, and TBT, referred to are inside the RR and cannot be seen or replaced without destroying the RR.

For those interested, the picture is of an original CBR1000F Honda RR opened up showing the circuit board with the diodes referred to. Also showing a replacement Electrex RR23 RR.

(More info and some further detailed testing is provided in the attached pdf that I wrote and linked to previously)

 

Rode a few miles today - staying close to home! Bike felt fine. Measured the battery before and after the ride - no loss. Other tests same as my earlier post. Headlamp got brighter when revved. Looks like she's good to go, but my wife recommended I test the bike again tomorrow. First time she's ever encouraged me to go biking - but it's because she's worried how upset my boss will be if I arrive four hours late for work a third time!

 

Here is a sample of how the rectifier circuit works (photos 1 &2) in older bikes.

Here is why it doesn't matter how you hook up the 3 yellow wires in a 3-phase rectifier (photo#3).

Diodes are made of ceramic materials of positive material bonded to negative material, called PN (+-). In the PN symbol, the triangle is + charged and the line is - charged. When the ALT is sending + in one direction it is attracted to the - but shunted by the + material (opposites attract/ same repel). When the current is flipped the - is attracted to the + material but shunted by the - material. The ghost diodes and acting as shunts in the photos.

Leaking diodes may be causing hmm's discharging but I have not heard of them blowing fuses. A short will cause a fuse to blow and cause discharge. Sounds like a short somewhere to me.

 

Sounds like your charging system on the bike is working okay. But your charger at home isn't. My battery reads 12.6 before I put my 50-year-old battery charger on it. After a few hours, the battery reads 14.0.